Chapter 36

The situation gradually began to unfold.

A few days had passed since the simulated battle where I earned 1.2 million yen in a single day.

"Ah, wait a moment."

"Huh?"

Today, as I was about to start my training on the simulator, Mr. Saigo stopped me.

To be frank, this is a very rare occurrence.

After all, the mecha I pilot is one that Mr. Saigo built despite the objections of his wife and daughter.

It seems that only because I can pilot it, it has stopped being treated as junk. However, the moment he made that bet, his standing within the family became low. Therefore, Mr. Saigo is now pouring his heart and soul into obtaining data from this mecha.

To be precise, he is focusing on how much of the data obtained from this mecha can be applied to the next generation of mecha.

And this mecha can only be operated by me, even in a simulator.

Thus, if I don't start the simulator, Mr. Saigo's purpose cannot be achieved.

"…Has something more important than data collection come up?"

It's only natural to think that.

And the answer from Mr. Saigo, in response to my question, was affirmative.

"Yeah, that's right. It's a request from above. They want you to test this."

He showed me a special suit of armor designed for soldiers who use conventional weapons.

It's an exoskeleton, or a powered suit, made with artificial bones and muscles created from monster materials.

"…Are you serious?"

"Seems like it."

"Hmm."

"By the way, this is a new model being developed by Saigo Heavy Industries. They apparently want you to test it because of the circumstances."

"Hmm."

(You thought I'd say, "I understand, of course!"?)

As mentioned earlier, powered suits are designed for soldiers who use conventional weapons.

The fundamental premise is that medium and large monsters have a magical barrier that makes them immune to conventional weapons, so they are dealt with by mecha pilots and artillery units.

On the other hand, small monsters, which are classified as such, do not have such barriers—or if they do, they are very weak—and are often dealt with by tank artillery.

You might think, "If tanks can take them down, what's the point of a powered suit?"

In a sense, you'd be right.

This is because the role of soldiers equipped with powered suits is to protect tanks from approaching monsters as accompanying infantry.

Tanks, by nature, have thick armor but poor visibility, making them vulnerable to ambushes.

This weakness becomes more critical as heavy weapons develop. For example, if hit by an anti-tank gun from the side, a tank can have its tracks or turret destroyed in one shot. In other words, depending on the situation, a single infantryman can defeat a tank.

To prevent this and allow tanks to function effectively, accompanying infantry are deployed around the tanks to guard against ambushes.

However, in this world, the role of accompanying infantry is not to guard against infantry with anti-tank guns.

They are primarily there to guard against ambushes by small monsters and to prevent them from getting close to the tanks.

However, the physical abilities of humans and wild animals are already vastly different, and the monsters, which are the virtual enemies, are enhanced by magic, making them even more formidable.

Moreover, while classified as small, some of these monsters can be nearly 3 meters tall, which is larger than many humans. A human who is over 2 meters tall would be considered a giant, and they would not be able to match the strength of these monsters.

In fact, the casualty rate of accompanying infantry, who were only equipped with bulletproof vests and stab-resistant vests that did not hinder their movement, was reportedly very high until a few years ago.

Given the high number of casualties among infantry, the powered suit was developed.

This suit, which uses the same technology as the mecha, not only improved mobility and defense but also enhanced offensive capabilities, significantly increasing the survival rate of accompanying infantry and the number of small monsters they could eliminate.

Additionally, the fact that monster materials, which were previously used only for select mecha, were now being used for infantry earned the then-commander-in-chief significant support—or not—from the military.

Putting that aside for now.

At first glance, this equipment seems like something a mecha pilot could use, but in reality, mecha pilots do not use powered suits.

The reason is simple: the cockpit would break.

The cockpit of a mecha is a combination of machine and flesh, and the pilot inserts their limbs—more accurately, up to their chest—into it to connect with the mecha and operate it. However, the pilot actually moves quite a bit during operation.

To illustrate, imagine the feeling of your body moving to the right when you try to turn your vehicle to the right in a racing game.

Of course, the cockpit is designed with some leeway to allow for some movement, but when the force of the powered suit is added, even small movements can generate enough force to exceed the leeway, causing the internal mechanisms to break.

Therefore, mecha pilots wear a suit that is similar to the powered suit but is focused on bulletproof and impact resistance, akin to the suits worn by the teenagers who fight the mysterious giant creatures in the red sea of the third new Tokyo City.

Given the above, the significance of me testing the powered suit is extremely low.

If there is a reason for me to do it, it might be to improve the survival rate of mecha pilots.

However, if that were the goal, it would be more appropriate to ask someone like Mr. Taguchi, who is skilled in martial arts, or Mr. Igo or Mr. Muto, who are proficient in both martial arts and shooting, rather than a martial arts novice like me—though I think I can do a little, I have never officially trained at a dojo, so I am still a novice compared to professional soldiers.

Furthermore, I am currently in the middle of testing the performance of the only mecha in the world.

In other words, this is not a job that should be given to me.

Yet, I am being asked to do it. And it seems to be an order from above, not just Mr. Saigo's hobby.

From this, the conclusion is…

(I see, I understand.)

I thought it would come sooner or later, but I didn't expect it to come this quickly.

I couldn't see it, even with my eyes.

(The intent behind this order is to kill me, isn't it?)

---

If someone else heard this, they might tilt their head and ask, "Why would you think that?"

But Keita was certain.

This was because he understood that he had been promoted over other factions and that he could operate the only mecha in the world, which gave him a unique value. Moreover, his own nature told him this.

First, regarding his promotion, it was no surprise that upperclassmen and their families saw him as a nuisance, given that even his classmates—especially Kenjiro Kohata—showed obvious malice.

Second, in terms of his uniqueness, Keita was a mystery to researchers. It was not unusual for someone to want to study him thoroughly, as they did with the boy who cooperated with the Second Savior Project.

In fact, it would be more unusual to think that no one had such intentions, given the precedent.

Additionally, there was a more straightforward reason: some people might think that if Keita were gone, they could use the mecha. Specifically, Kenjiro Kohata and those around him.

And third, while others did not understand, Keita had memories from his previous life, which brought with them certain bad habits.

This was not about lacking common knowledge or saying, "Eh? Isn't this how you operate a robot?" with a blank face when people were surprised by his actions.

The bad habit Keita brought from his previous life was a common one during adolescence, often classified as "middle school syndrome" or "delusional tendencies": the habit of overanalyzing everything.

People act based on their desires. Therefore, if you know what someone desires, you can predict their intentions.

Because of this mindset, people with this habit tend to believe in and never stop doubting others' desires.

In other words, they become suspicious of everything.

For example, if someone suddenly gives you a large sum of money, you might think, "Are they trying to get me to do something bad? Or is receiving this money itself a trigger for something?"

If someone says, "I have a good offer for you" out of the blue, you might think, "They're trying to set me up."

When his relatives got close to him after his parents died, Keita kept his distance because he suspected their motives, but this was also influenced by his habit.

Even after entering the military academy, this was the case.

Takumi made him a special lieutenant to test the mecha, and the military approved it because he had achieved high scores in the simulator and they wanted to see the actual mecha in action.

His subsequent promotions were due to defeating large monsters, and the 2 million yen bonus was to keep the only tester in the world.

Shoko Igo often provided him with money because she understood that it was the most effective and quick way to get the information she wanted.

As long as there was a "reason" based on "desire," it was fine.

Because he understood this, Keita was able to maintain a good relationship with Takumi and Shoko, and he was willing to go along with their plans because he knew there was something in it for him.

Now, what about this current situation?

What benefit does a mecha pilot like me have in testing a powered suit?

Improving the performance of the powered suit? Increasing the survival rate?

Will that help defeat large monsters? Is it more important than the training and data collection for the Mikage-type mecha?

No, definitely not.

Furthermore, the fact that the request came from above is also problematic.

Would the higher-ups ask a mecha pilot to test equipment that is not necessary for mecha pilots, especially someone who knows nothing about martial arts?

And they are asking me, who has been envied for my promotions, to do a relatively safe and potentially meritorious experiment?

(No, this is out of the question. Not just three strikes, but five strikes. Next time, start with two strikes.)

In Keita's value system, this is clearly a "trick to get me into trouble" situation.

(Overthinking? What's wrong with that?)

At this point, it was just Keita's imagination, but he decided to think this way.

(Now, who issued this order? How involved is Mr. Saigo?)

Of course, Keita had no intention of being killed silently while knowing this.

He planned to counterattack once the betrayal was discovered, and even before that, he intended to strike back at any suspicious actions.

Whether this could be called a counterattack or not is another matter.

On this day, Keita became convinced that there was a clear enemy within the military.

—Whether this conviction was correct or mistaken would be judged by the future Keita.

Simple Note:

【Trick to get me into trouble】

This refers to a situation where people try to trap the protagonist by issuing false requests to lure them to a specific location, and then attack them with a "Gotcha!" when they show up.

It involves betrayal by the requestor or a superior.

Keita is extremely sensitive—some might say overly sensitive—to situations where he gains an advantage for no reason or to orders from above. Moreover, he is the type of person who believes in striking first before being struck, so he will take action when necessary.

Thank you for reading.